Understood
by Random Guise
Summary: This short takes place after the 2002 Japanese animated movie "Millennium Actress". Genya Tachibana has finally interviewed Chiyoko Fujiwara but has no idea what to do next. I don't own these characters but I have found a mystery key before.


**A/N: An epilogue to the 2002 animated Japanese movie "Millennium Actress".**

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Understood

"You should eat something; how else do you expect to stay fat?" Kyoji Ida said to his boss, Genya Tachibana. It was said not with malice, but with stark concern for someone he considered not only a superior but also a friend, of sorts. As a young cameraman in the television industry, Kyoji didn't have many friends; having worked with Genya for some time it was excusable if he acted in a somewhat familiar fashion to him. A man of Genya's generation would have never considered such a thing, but times were changing and so with it the traditional society that once was Japan.

Genya grunted "Oy" but did not reach for the plate of food in front of him. He continued to kneel at the table and stare at the wall; the cup of herbal tea beside the plate had long gone cold and continued to be ignored. Even the implied insult, meant in jest, just bounced off of him.

"_She_ would want you to eat."

This elicited a response. "How would you know what _she_ would want, sapling? I have grown up watching her films, working on the set with her, and keeping the secret of the keyholder. You know her only through our last interview." Genya spoke of Chiyoko Fujiwara, the actress of seventy years whom they had interviewed shortly before the final bout of illness that sent her for her final days in the hospital.

"Okay, excuse me - I guess she would have wanted you to starve yourself to death then."

The ludicrous nature of the statement gave Genya pause; he grumbled and reached down and took a little of the offered food and ate it without much effort to chew or even taste. He followed it by taking a sip of the now cold tea. "Are you now appeased?" he asked, begrudging the wisdom of the observation much like a father would when chastised by his son for not buckling his safety belt.

"I said what I did not to mock you, or to insinuate that I know her better than you. I just don't want to have to find a new boss if you waste away pining from unrequited love."

Genya tried his best to give a cold, deadly stare at Kyoji but could not hold it as he buried his face in his hands. "I am ashamed. In Chiyoko I saw all that was good and honorable in people, and I was not worthy of her."

"You saved her life twice, shielding her from debris during our frequent earthquakes. You have forsaken all others when they do not measure up to your lofty appraisal of her. You treated her with respect, not fawning over her like some rabid fan wanting an autograph. You were worthy, but just as you sought your ideal so she did as well. We were both there and experienced her life story. I cannot explain it, but I saw it the same as you."

"Not quite the same" Genya said as his voice and manner softened. "You were probably disoriented by where you were at times. Me, well...I had already lived those movies watching them over and over, so when we found ourselves actually inside them I was at home. Even when we switched eras I knew our place in them."

"I wouldn't believe it actually happened if I hadn't seen the replays on my camera; there's no way I could blame that on too much sake. How do you think it happened?" Kyoji asked, bewildered.

"I have no idea, and I do not care. The journey was worth more than any explanation would provide. Does one require knowledge of how a diamond is formed to enjoy its beauty? Maybe nothing happened but the power of our imaginations, or maybe just hers. In the end we shared the most intimate experience possible and I shall cherish it long after her name is forgotten by the world."

"All those places, all those people, just linked together in her quest to find one person? The man who gave her the key without explaining what it was to?"

"Why not? The greater the will, the stronger the desire; these are powerful forces that shape our thoughts. Why not the world around us? It provided great insight to who she was, and now I see how her quest was reflected in her roles. Such perfection! She put a bit of herself into each role and it showed; she was the part and the part was her. Even at the end..." he paused, to regain his composure. "Even at the end she maintained her search; leaving this world to seek him in the next. After so many decades, she did not give up - her body failed but her spirit remained indomitable. Your generation will never know such a person."

"Then show them."

Genya shook his head. "She is gone. There can be no more interviews and I...no longer have her to honor."

"We have her old movies. We have our interview. We have those who knew her. Surely these can be drawn upon. And there would be those who would watch a story of her life even if we used none of our own footage."

"Do you think so? Even people _your_ age?"

Kyoji shrugged. "Courage is courage. It would be a great project, and a tribute. But someone has to have the vision to present it; I think you are uniquely suited, if I might be so bold."

"I...will consider it."

...

That night, Genya tossed and turned in fitful sleep. His mind tried to fit the puzzle pieces of Chiyoko's roles together; slowly, a whole picture emerged and crystallized into sharp focus. In every case, she was in pursuit of the unnamed owner of the key. He got the sense that she relished the chase; certainly it was frustrating to always be a step or two behind, but as a series of challenges it was a brilliant record of overcoming odds. Towards the end he saw her heading toward a light and even though only the back of her head showed, he imagined a smile on her face. At that point she turned her head enough to smile at him, wink and then face forward in time to pass into the light.

She understood, and more importantly she knew he understood as well. Just as she must pursue her desire, so must he pursue his. She never did find out what the key unlocked, and the answer was unimportant in the end; the who and the why were the important things, not the what.

...

Kyoji sat at the desk, making an inventory of recorded media and marking it for later retrieval. Genya opened the door to the office and entered before closing the door behind him and walking directly to his cameraman's desk where he stood waiting. Kyoji looked up at his boss.

"We will create a tribute to Chiyoko Fujiwara that will capture her spirit and all that she represented. It will not be easy and might prove too arduous for our small studio alone. Will you help me, Kyoji-kun?"

Kyoji masked his shock at the sudden title; Genya had no children and he had never heard his boss use the honorific on him before. In addition, his boss asked rather than told him what they would be doing; that was just as shocking. Honored in a way he didn't quite understand, Kyoji bowed his head slightly. "We will do our best."

"Good" Genya said, with the slightest hint of a smile. "Let us begin."

The End

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**A/N: It was interesting to watch the style in which the animation depicted the aging of the actress in the movie; being more detailed than traditional animation is, they used subtle clues like hair and posture to indicate age. The blending of eras and fantasy/flashback could be a little jarring but made for an absorbing movie. Genya still carried the torch for Chiyoko at the end; why not give him a place to carry it?**

**I also noticed that there was a difference in generations between the director and his cameraman; the older was more indicative of the rigid social structure of traditional Japan, while the younger was depicted as clueless and disrespectful in the beginning. I suspected the experience would bring the two to a greater understanding, and wanted to work towards that end as well.**


End file.
